finally friday.

well, it's friday afternoon at 4:30. classes are done, i have my starbucks coffee frappuccino and i'm watching oprah (royal wedding addition!). this week has felt excruciatingly long and i am so happy it's finally the weekend! in addition to midterms, and being sick (BOO!) there have been random and fun things that came up throughout the week.

let's talk real quick about how obsessed i am with the royal wedding and everything british in general. now i'm not so obsessed that i stayed up until 3am or whatever ungodly hour it was being broadcasted live, but i did watch clips and most of the ceremony online for about an hour and a half. and after all of it, all i can say is: incredible. i can't even imagine riding in a street car all throughout london with literally TONS and TONS of people waiting for hours on end just to catch a glimpse of you, while you are driven to Westminster Abbey and walked up on a red carpet into the rest of your life. unbelievable. as far as her dress is concerned, it wasn't really what i was expecting, although that probably had to do with the fact that they got married in a very liturgical and formal setting. it was nevertheless extremely beautiful and intricate.

and her sister's dress was gorgeous too. i thought it was kind of out of the ordinary that she too wore a white dress, but so did the flower girls, so it wasn't completely crazy. i have to admit that i fast-forwarded through some of the actual ceremony because there was SO much singing. it was like a choir concert. the best of the best kind of choir concert, mind you, but a concert still. there were also a couple of speakers that i fast-forwarded. i thought it was interesting that they did not have their first kiss in the cathedral. very respectful, though. did anyone else see the queen in bright yellow?? what's a girl gotta do to get noticed? wear that outfit, that's what. i didn't really care about what prince charles/camilla were wearing. not interested haha. but prince harry....now that is a different story. he is my last hope. i need to go on my study abroad trip to england like NOW :)

there is a royal wedding party tonight at 8pm on the 5th floor, dresses required, and tea served. i'm so glad there are other people who share in my obsession ;)

what else what else.....

on thursday, i got my career results back in my major & career exploration class. a few weeks ago, we had to pay $40 (yes, $40) to take two different tests that were supposed to determine our strengths and weaknesses as well as what careers we might like/excel in. wanna hear the results?? i know you're dying.....;)

the first test was called the Strong Interest Inventory. they determine the best "themes" according to how you responded to the questions. out of Realistic, Investigative, Conventional, Enterprising, Social, and Artistic, my top three "themes" were:

Artistic

Enterprising

Social

& these are my top careers :

1. Cosmetologist

2. Retail Sales Representative

3. Health Information Specialist

4. Optician

5. Buyer

6. Florist

7. Paralegal

8. Farmer/Rancher

9. Flight Attendant

10. Food Service Manager

ok, so half of those careers i could NEVER see myself in. like never ever. i had to look up the definition of cosmetologist (even though i've heard it before), and i got: make-up artist, skin-care specialist, and manicurist. i really honestly have no idea how that ended up being my #1 career. health information specialist....not really feelin that one either. and optician?? really?!! i didn't expect that one either. i think the craziest one i got was farmer/rancher. basically anyone that has met me even once knows that is the furthest thing away from what i want to do with my life. flight attendant....while it has its benefits, and you get to travel all over the world, i'm not really a "people person" and i reallly don't have a lot of patience. and food service manager.....no. just no.

next is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. this was a little different test, it basically had you pick between two words for each question. i'm not really sure how accurate that is supposed to gauge your results, but based off of the careers i got, i'm guessing not very accurate. you ready? i got 24 possible careers, but they are so outrageously off that i will only give you the first 10 for a taste.

1. Veterinary assistant

2. Team Assembler (WTH is that??)

3. Electrical power installer/repairer

4. Veterinary technician

5. General maintenance repairer

6. Coach

7. Nurse's aide/orderly

8. Telephone installer/repairer

9. Recreation worker

10. Driver 

NONE of those are like me. none. i can't see myself doing any of those occupations. i also got OB/GYN, CHEMICAL TECHNICIAN (ARE YOU KIDDING ME) and CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN. now i'm not hating on any of these careers, because i know they take a lot of smarts and schooling, but they just aren't for me.

something helpful that these packets include is possible majors that go with each career. definitely a bonus. they also point out what your strengths are (ex: "you like doing hands-on work that leads to a concrete result) and weaknesses (ex: you may not be able to provide honest feedback to others for fear of hurting their feelings) both of which i thought were pretty accurate. 

also, this week i had an interview with a professor in a major i'm interested in (but i'll save that for another blog post).

tomorrow is Dad's Day at SPU and i'm really excited. I get to see my pops and go to a sounders game! i've never been to a MLS game before, so that should be really exciting. 

cross your fingers for decent weather!

congratulations if you actually read this entire blog post, you deserve an award. like a cookie. or a large piece of chocolate cake. so go get yourself some.

IT'S FRIDAY.

love <3

the laugh clap.

the laugh-clap.

you know, when someone thinks something is SO funny that they have to put their hands together to emphasize how great it is.

i hate the laugh-clap.

what's worse is the plural laugh-clap. that's not only one clap, but multiple claps whilst laughing hysterically. it makes the person doing the laugh-clap look like an idiot. there is never a right time to do it.

if you aren't sure what i'm talking about, please watch this lovely clip of Brendan Fraser at the 2010 Golden Globes (if you haven't seen it already). i was lucky enough to watch this when it was airing, and i almost died of laughter. since then, it has been made into a remix (not surprising) and will forever be made fun of on the Soup.

even though i hate the laugh-clap, this is pretty hilarious. mostly because it's Brendan Fraser. and the fact that it wasn't really all that funny to begin with.

i can think of a few people who do this, and it has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves. ever.

so if you're around me, and you find yourself wanting to exercise this annoying gesture, RESIST THE TEMPTATION.

please & thank you.

have a nice day.

false alarm.

and by a false alarm, i mean to say fire alarm. at 1 in the morning.
i was luckily still awake, but was about to go to bed. my roommate and i considered just turning off our lights and pretending we were asleep, but apparently there is a HUGE fine if you don't get out of the building.
and by false alarm, i mean this wasn't a drill. there also wasn't a fire. some people thought it could be popcorn in a microwave somehow triggering the alarm. 
word on the street is that some kid "ran into it", hence setting it off. this could have been the same kid that hit the fire alarm with his nerf gun from last time. i wouldn't be surprised...
since i was caught off guard, i ran outside with my boots and my snuggie. little did i know it was going to be about 30 minutes of waiting and i was FREEZING. i also had my retainer in and talked with a lisp which was i'm sure very charming.
the funny thing is that only two girls on our floor were asleep. gotta love college right? 
after the fire trucks left, we were given the ok to go back inside.
a warning to the kid who set the fire alarm off: you should probably hide, because you're probably not on a lot of people's good side right now...


i think i know why i slept until 11:30 this morning now...

reflections.

as i pause today to reflect on Easter and Christ's rising from the grave, i am continually reminded of how undeserving i am of such a holy and sovereign savior. but that's the beauty of grace, it is a gift. even though we don't deserve it, we are redeemed by a love everlasting.


also; as i come up on the last 6 weeks of my freshman year of college [seriously, where has the time gone?!] i reflect on....


what was my life like one year ago?
ok, so even though i'm not half-way across the country, engaged (ring by spring anyone??), didn't get any crazy piercings or tattoos, and haven't gained 30 pounds, i am in some ways completely changed. on the inside though ;)
exactly one year ago i was pulling my hair out trying to figure out where to go to college. i had three choices, and just could not for the life of me make a decision. not that that's anything new; but this was a decision that was of extreme importance. where was i going to go for the next 4 years of my life? i applied to three schools and consequently got into three schools. throughout the application process, i half-way hoped that one or more of them would reject me, thus making a decision for me. but that's not what God had in store for me. i will spare you most of the details, but basically i had it down to point loma, westmont college, and seattle pacific. for a long while, i was convinced that i was going to school in california. i had made my mind up. spu was really just for fun, kind of on the back burner. i visited all three schools and weighed my options, the pros and cons (over and over and over). one year ago, my parents made me decide before it was too late [may 1st deadline]. i shockingly decided on spu.
so there it was, concrete. on paper. i was going to attend seattle pacific university in the fall of 2010. and you know what? i couldn't be happier with my decision. no matter where i would have gone, i'm sure i would have found great things about it, but i'm glad i chose to go here. if i didn't end up loving it, then i would change. college is supposed to be the time of your life, and you should be happy with where you're at. it's okay to make a change. it's also okay to realize that you aren't perfect and never will be. sure, there have been several bumps on the road, lots of tears and frustrations, but just as many laughs and great times. i have made friends i know i will have for life. i've acquired 20 sisters that i can always count on. i can't begin to tell you the things i have learned both in and out of the classroom at college. during orientation and the first week of school, you're basically thrown into the deep end and you just have to learn how to swim to survive. without challenges and hard times, there is no growth. i can safely say i've grown not only in maturity and responsibility, but in my faith as well. i've been learning how to make my faith my own. and it's exciting. one year ago, i had different friends. not that i'm not still friends with most of them, i just have met so many new friends. and i'm not sad about it.


so what's in store for the next year?
who really knows? i could be engaged for all i know. (hahaha, kidding. you can breathe now, parents) although i can't predict the future, i do have some goals i would like to achieve. they are as follows: decide on my major and be satisfied with it, grow in my faith even more, and find a job (hopefully!)


all i know is that i'm taking life one quarter at a time, one week at a time, and one day at a time. and while i deal with doubt and uncertainties at times, i've learned that God is in control and his perfect will for my life is better than anything i could ever imagine.

one of my favorite things

My dear, sweet friend Jourdan from high school goes to Bible college in California. After spending a semester in Maui (jealous!) and this one currently in California, she's coming back to Washington later in the summer :) 
She is a wonderful photographer and super creative.
While you northwest-ers (is that a word?) anxiously anticipate the springtime, (it's coming, i promise!!) enjoy these pictures! [ps : she's the brunette:)]


LOVE YOU JOURDAN!

3x5.

remember the science class i'm taking this quarter?? [sidenote: it is NOT "intro to the nature of science", it's basically chemistry 101. kill me.] anyway, tomorrow is my first test (yikes...) and we are allowed one notecard for notes. i didn't even know i could write that small.....this shows how much i need my notes!! i am not at all ready; but am i ever for a science test??
this first exam is on:
-the scientific method
-physical/chemical changes of matter
-chemical reaction equations
-conversion/factor-labeling
-significant figures
-air pollutants
-layers of the atmosphere


do you remember any of this from when you learned it? i didn't think so.
some of the stuff i remember from junior year of high school, and i remember how much i hate it. thankfully i remember some useful stuff, so the information isn't completely new to me. i keep telling myself, "it's only one quarter, and it's almost half-way over anyway" but i can't stop myself from despising the material. on monday i wrote in my notebook during the electronic configuration lecture, and i quote, 
"there is nothing more boring than science. NOTHING. if i could ban any subject, it would be science, specifically chemistry. there is no point. i mean really, no point. i can't stay engaged to pay attention and if i could, i'd probably not understand it anyway. this class literally makes me feel pain. it is awful. boring. boring. SO BORING." 
keep in mind this is in addition to my countless doodles, signing my name, and random song lyrics that happened to pop into my head.
hahaha well this blog post was my "study break" from studying for my test. 
wish me luck tomorrow at 1:30pm.
i need your prayers :)

i must admit....

....that sometimes, when i walk up the hill to ashton, i purposely walk up the opposite side of the hill so 
a) i don't have to talk to anyone while i'm breathing hard/focusing on making it to the top
b) i can stop at the middle to "read" the poster on the telephone pole and catch my breath


there i said it.
so if you see me walking on the other side, you'll know why.


it's all for this view :

the upside to walking up this beast of a hill every day is the great view of seattle.

unfortunately, since i live on the first floor, and have a view towards the back, i don't get to enjoy this as much as other floors. kind of a bummer, but oh well.

speaking of.....last night we had a floor meeting about housing next year. afterwards, i found myself completely overwhelmed and slightly stressed. housing is a lot more confusing than i would have thought. there's the credits you and your roommate have which can help you get in where you want to (depending on your amount). there's different times depending on how many people you are living with, different times if you want to switch rooms, or floors, or halls. if that wasn't enough, who am i going to live with?

after taking a tour of some of the floors in hill hall, it's looking better and better to me. their furniture is SO nice....it's wood. and after living in ashton, anything looks like it was made for royalty. yes, they still have the prison-cell-walls, but the furniture makes up for it.

i've heard from some different people (i.e. my sister) that hill hall has a reputation for being the "church-camp kids". i am in no way denying that, honestly i find some people that live in hill obnoxious. but you find those people no matter where you live. the problem with living in hill is that the people that live there this year want to live there next year, (plus with the incoming freshmen) making it difficult to get in. i'm not going to be devastated if i don't get in; i'll probably just live in ashton. or maybe even emerson. i have no idea.

luckily, i have until may 24th or something like that to decide.

wish me luck!

add another stick of butter, ya'll.

shout-out to my girl, paula deen

just add butter and awl (oil) to anything...

best dishes y'all!

update.

i think i have a life. it's a weird feeling!
i have been crazy busy these past couple of days amazingly. 
"with what, exactly?" you might be thinking...


on monday, i enjoyed the beautiful sunshine by taking an hour-long walk around queen anne. i got lost about 4 times, but i didn't care. it was so great to just explore and find shortcuts. plus, the houses are so pretty that it doesn't matter if i end up walking twice as much to find my way back. my friend katie wanted to go to trader joe's in queen anne so i went with her after dinner. who even knew there was a trader joe's in queen anne? not me. in addition to that, we found top-pot donuts, right down the street. i had no idea i was within walking distance to it! i haven't been there; but it's my goal by the end of the quarter to go. on our way back, we took a detour to the elementary school and swung on the swings. i forgot how much i loved going on the swings. it brought back memories. it was still daylight when we got back around 8. i love the spring!

on tuesday, to take advantage of the sunshine, a few girls from my floor and i went to gasworks to take pictures. we took so many; but these are my favorites. enjoy! shout out to kimberly & emily for these shots.....they turned out so great :) i'm sure we will do this the next time a sunny spring day rolls around!

 me & emily

take two.

 me & stephanie

 sassy.

 frolicking.

 me & kimberly

best background ever.

 meadow.

posed.

 candid.

beautiful skyline.

 silly.

failed attempt at jumping picture....

 success!

 headshot.

the gas works!

after this fun excursion, we went to dinner and then to yoga at kula body movement in ballard.

disclaimer: i've had experience in yoga, from taking a PE class in high school that was mostly yoga, to taking them at my gym at home, but this one was different. unlike anything i've ever done: it was warm yoga. i'm sure you've heard of the "hot yoga" craze - where they turn up the temperature to 100 degrees or more while doing yoga, the idea behind this being more sweat = more calories burned/weight lost. this was not hot yoga, thankfully. it was only in the high 80s. i didn't really know what to expect....i started sweating even before the class started. i figured that wasn't a good sign. by the end, i was sweating in places i didn't even know had pores to sweat through. i wish i would have taken a picture - my makeup was smeared like crazy. i kind of felt like i'd been hit by a bus; but nevertheless, it was a good workout. and i am definitely feeling the after effects today.

today; i had class at 9:30 and 1:30. in between, i have been spraying bug spray like there's no tomorrow (i found 6 of those awful creatures on my desk today....see here), doing homework, and fasting. i'm sorry this blog post is so excruciatingly long; maybe it's to keep my mind off of my hungry stomach...and i have small group at 6:30 tonight.

through all my busy-ness, i am continually thankful for all that God has provided me with. my outlook, my friends and people that i am surrounded by, and even my schoolwork. 

i am so blessed.

LOVE.

the happiest of birthdays

to my dear niece: while it's technically still your birthday, [12 minutes left!] i am going to wish you a happy birthday!
(i would have done this earlier, but i've been super busy today....bad aunt!!)
Happy 1st Birthday Miss Harper! i can't believe you're already one years old. wow.
can't wait to see you on saturday to celebrate :)
love, your (favorite) aunt chandler

attack of the flying ants.

(note: i'm sparing you an actual picture of a flying ant.)

as if regular ants weren't enough, we now have FLYING ants in our dorm room. 

sick.

i (and my roommate) were gone for part of the weekend and when we came back, i found 5 of these lovely little creatures waiting for me near my window. i killed them all within about 2 seconds. the funny thing is, she accidentally left her window a little cracked while mine was closed, yet she had no signs of them. something must have attracted them to my side of the room. and once i find out what it is, i am going to destroy it.

[ this would be a perfect time to enlighten you all about how much i hate insects. i hate spiders, i hate bees, i ESPECIALLY hate flies, i hate locusts, i hate termites, i hate ants, i hate anything that can crawl or fly or bite. they are vile creatures that serve no purpose and should have been left off of the arc. ]

ranting aside; today, i killed one with my nail polish. i was painting my nails and i saw one of these suckers on my paper. not knowing where a large book would be to kill it with, i decided i should just put my nail polish wand on it and watch it struggle to move. once it was trapped, i got a tissue and picked it up and threw it away. call it sick revenge - i call it satisfaction.

as a precaution, we have sprayed this extremely strong bug repellent on our windows (suspected entrance of said insects) to ward off any potential friends/family of the flying ants that have called our room home. it is so strong that you can smell it all the way completely at the other end of the hall. 
what is somewhat comforting about this situation is that our next door neighbors are dealing with the same problem, they are in fact who we acquired the bug repellent from.
still disgusting.
expect updates in the near future on this debacle....
yours in repellent land, C

just a thought

ok, so you know how people already have the songs they want played at their wedding picked out? perhaps graduation? well, i have those songs too, but in addition, i know which songs i want played at my funeral. call me morbid, but i am very specific when it comes to the music played at my funeral. not that anyone will remember, or even be alive....maybe i'll just put it in my will...

so far the list is as follows:

Be Thou My Vision

If I Die Young - The Band Perry

Yesterday - The Beatles

When I Look to the Sky - Train

100 Years - Five For Fighting

this is a list in progress  - there might be revisions and additions

what are your songs? have you thought about it at all? 
i think i'm a freak. but what else is new right? ;)

just a note...

i have the best room in ashton. perfect viewing to the basketball court. 
and it's sunny. 58 degrees, even. balmy.
and when my blinds aren't up, it's barely noticeable that i'm watching whoever might be on the court.
just saying.....

WINNING.

i know not everyone has the same sense of humor as me, and i'm fine with that.....but you have to admit, this video is SO funny. no matter how sick you are of charlie sheen (you know who you are) or how fascinated you are with his trainwreck of a meltdown, you will enjoy this video.

this auto-tune parody is from the same geniuses that did the bed-intruder (hide your kids, hide your wife)....so you know it's good.

ENJOY :)

can't come soon enough.

HAWAII :

countdown: [2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days]

too excited.

drip drip

drip.
that not only describes the current sound of precipitation in seattle today, but also what i ordered this morning.

for the first time, i got a drip coffee. for you non-coffee drinkers, that is straight black coffee. don't be alarmed; i put cream and sugar in it. i wanted to try something new, and i definitely need some waking up this morning.

cheers!

lots to do......adios :)

the TACOS of prayer

back in high school (ok, i am sounding way older than i actually am. sidenote: i did get carded last night for a rated R movie, which made me feel extremely cool. and old....) i learned a handy little acronym in youth group for prayer.
i've been struggling (and i mean REALLY) struggling with prayer. i could blame it on lots of things: too much homework, too much social activity/events, too little sleep, laziness, blah blah blah, etc. the truth is, if you have time to get ready in the morning, then surely you have time for PRAYER.
by nature, i am one of those people who wants to do things on their own without help. i value my independence more than a lot of things. that trait alone can be the opposite of prayer. prayer is supposed to be about humbling yourself; admitting your faults, and asking for help. i always think i can do things by myself, and you know what? i can't. 
and so often when i am faced with a problem, i go to humans for help. yes, humans can help and console you, and even give you advice, but it pales in comparison to talking to God about it. and even though i know why i do this, i still do it.


anyways, back to the title of my post......here are the TACOS of prayer.
Thanksgiving
Adoration
Confession
Others
Self


even then, do you see where you fit in? at the end. proof that prayer isn't all about you, as many (including me) like to believe.
my goal is to write this down on paper every week. i have a feeling that if i get in a habit of writing it all down, then it'll come more naturally and often. 
hold me accountable to it -- that's one of the best ways to become successful.

rooted.

it's friday fridayyyyyyy....gotta get down on friday! (are you sick of that song by now?? hahaha)
anyhow, it is the weekend and even though i have only had 3 days of school this week, i am more than ready for the weekend. i don't have any specific plans, but i am perfectly fine with that!
below is a picture of my family tree from one of my classes last quarter, Seeing History Through Clothing. you might wonder what this has to do with fashion....to be honest, i'm not sure either. it was an FCS (family and consumer science) class, so i'm sure that had something to do with it. our assignment was to write a 5 page paper about someone in our family or extended family that we admire, and then create a powerpoint examining the fashions they wore throughout a certain period of their life. in addition, we had to make a family tree going back to our great-grandparents. it's really cool to see the lineage of your family and where you fit in with it all.
i ended up choosing my grandmother on my dad's side, specifically in the 1940s. i have no idea what i got on that paper, but i got 10/10 on my tree which i am really proud of. 
here it is below:

my organization has come in handy! i'm really proud of this project and i want to share it with the rest of the blogging world. haha
have a wonderful friday!
l o v e -